Easter = Påske! The Easter period is one of the most important holidays in Norway. Equally with Christmas. This period has little to do with religion. Easter is usually in April or March. It is the time of spring when the sun shines in the mountains and the snow begins to melt. Norwegians do not celebrate Easter religiously. The main meaning of Easter is to be with nature, preferably in the mountains, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, climbing mountain tops, and enjoying the sun. A sunless Easter is a big disappointment for everyone in Norway. So, what are the most common Norwegian easter traditions: 1. Many Norwegians love going to their mountain cabins during Easter, where they enjoy cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, or just catching spring sun. 2. Eating a lot of oranges. Historically, oranges only came to Norway during the winter, with the oranges that arrived around Easter time being the sweetest. And so, tradition was born! Even though Norway now has access to sweet oranges all year round, oranges have now become a symbol of Easter in Norway; with Norwegians eating 16 million oranges over the Easter Holiday period! 3. Påskeegg (Norwegian Easter Eggs) You don’t generally find chocolate eggs covered in plastic and lots of cardboard packaging in Norway. Traditionally, a Norwegian Easter is a hollow cardboard egg reused each year. The egg is usually filled with pick and mix, and small chocolate marzipan eggs. 4. Kvikk-lunsj. Basically a Norwegian KitKat, but a Norwegian will probably disagree and swear blindly that it is a thousand times better. It’s become somewhat of a mascot for hiking in Norway and is especially popular at Easter. 5. Crime Books, TV, and Radio. Perhaps not your usual easter reading, Norwegians LOVE their “påskekrim” (translating to Easter Crime). So much so, that Easter Crime has become as much of an Easter tradition as Easter Eggs and cabin trips. You will find that Norwegian TV- channels such as NRK and TV2 show crime series, book shops will generally have offers on crime books, and newspapers and magazines will have written their own crime stories. Source: Study Bergen
0 Comments
the Memories of hiking highest mountain in Norway 12 years ago (Andris Malasevskis) There are big mountains, small hills and mountain peaks you still haven't been to. Every time when the sun is shining, my heart remains restless, because i want to go up to the mountains. I want to go somewhere and see how wonderful the world looks from the beautiful mountain peaks. I have climbed countless mountains all over the world- the Himalayas, the Caucasus, the Alps, Andes, Africa, the Pamirs, in Alaska, but Norwegian mountains are special. They are not like others, they are different. I am thankful to the destiny for bringing me to the magnificent Valdres mountain region and Beitostølen Resort. One could say my biggest dream has come true- i live in the mountains. I have gotten acquainted with Beitostolen surroundings, walked through all the mountain trails and reached Bitihorn and Mugnetind mountain peaks. I am thinking to myself what's next? It's time for the highest mountain in Norway Galdhøpiggen (2469m)! There is an idea and the right time to realize it. It is not difficult to find like-minded fellows, so on a beautiful September day three men from Bitostolen decided to conquer the highest point in Scandinavia. A trip to the Jotunheimen is excellent. Early in the morning when leaving Beitostolen we are greeted by Bitihorn mountain wrapped in a cloud cover. This view is always beautiful. Not without a reason this mountain is a symbol of Beitostolen. Our road leads us to Valdresflye which is one of the (SECOND) highest mountain roads in Norway. We get this cosmic feeling because there is just a mountain plateau around us; it feels like we are in an alpine desert. In winter this wonderful mountain road is closed. Along the way we get impressed by a panoramic view of the famous Besseggen mountain ridge which is the most popular mountain trek in the region. Next two hours our road takes us around famous Jotunheimen National Park. We have chosen the longest route to climb the Galdhøpiggen from the East. It's an early and cold morning when we arrive to Spiterstulen Mountain Hotel. There are only a few cars in the parking space. This is not the most popular route leading to the peak, most climbers choose the easiest and quickest way from Juvasshytta. The weather is excellent! Blue sky, sun, and wonderful mountain views. The route we have chosen is technically easy, but very long. The trail is well-marked and well foreseeable. We start our ascent slowly. According to the fact there is a professional photographer with us, we climb enjoying the beautiful sights. Actually, we are four adventurers, because there is also another famous Valdres region mountain climber with us-dog Rocky who has seen innumerable mountain peaks and walked all the surrounding trails. It seems like mountain climbing is not a problem for him. Along the way, we enjoy the clear mountain water from the mountain brooks. Halfway to our destination, we notice the first snow. When reaching the mountain ridge we see fantastic views of glaciers and Juvasshytta- hotel on the other side of the mountain. We can see hundreds of climbers moving towards the glacier peaks. We are happy we chose the difficult path because this route allows us to enjoy the peace and magnificent landscapes of mountains. The top ridge turns out to be very long. Reaching the first peak we see that the real peak is still ahead wrapped in glittering snow. After a four-hour ascent, we finally reach the top. Great! There is a cafeteria on the top of Norway's highest mountain and we see many people wanting to take pictures; we have to wait in line to get our pictures taken. Yes, this top is really popular! We couldn't ask for better weather; the top offers us a spectacular view of the Jotunheimen mountain peaks and glaciers. It is a bit cold, but we quickly forget about that because of the unique landscapes. We get the feeling - we want to stay here forever. There is nothing more beautiful than a clear and sunny day on the top of the mountain allowing us to enjoy the magnificence of nature. Jotunheimen is a gorgeous place! Now i can add also Norway's highest peak and Beitostølen Resort to my wide conquered peak collection. This winter is great - lots of snow and great skiing conditions. That's why we try to enjoy every great day at Hafjell and Kvitfjell ski resorts. In this post, I would like to share two great days of skiing and snowboarding at Hafjell and Kvitfjell ski resorts. Both resorts are only 40 minutes from each other and are perfect to combine if you are on vacation in one of them. One ski pass is valid for Hafjell and Kvitfjell ski resorts. Last week the weather was perfect and we spent two lovely days at Kvitfjell and Hafjell ski resorts. The school holidays were over and the crowds had gone home. There were relatively few tourists in both resorts. Kvitfjell had a particularly charming and sunny weather. There were so few tourists here that we felt like we were in a private resort. That's why is worth going to Norway for skiing or snowboarding. Some pictures from our 2 days skiing trip: Winter swimming has become very popular all over the world and in Norway. This is thanks to various studies on the positive effects of cold water on health and well-being. Cold water swimming has been popularized by "iceman" Wim Hof, who has created a huge community around the world. They share their experiences on social media. In recent years, the popularity of winter swimming and floating saunas has grown greatly in Norway. It has developed into a tourist product that is successfully sold in all major cities. For example, a whole town of floating saunas has been created in the center of Oslo, which independently employs more than 20 employees. People buy subscriptions, tourists enjoy it as an attraction in the capital. Local enthusiasts have established winter swimming spots in almost every town and less populated areas in Norway. The combination - winter swimming with sauna is a great way to enjoy winter and experience something different. If you are interested in this type of recreation in Norway, then we will help you find the most suitable places for winter swimming and sauna enjoyment anywhere in Norway. Norway is a land of mountains stretching over 2,000 km from south to north. Here you will find a variety of hikes from green valleys to white mountain peaks. Everything depends on your wishes and goals. I have worked extensively as a private hiking guide in various mountain regions of Norway. My favorite places are Jotunheimen - the highest mountains in Norway and the West coast - Sognefjord, Geiranger, and Romsdalen. If you are interested in active holidays in Norway, that is my forte and hobby. I will help you develop a perfect travel itinerary. When traveling to Norway, you should consider that it is located in the north of Europe and that there can be drastic temperature fluctuations even in summer. For example, the summer of 2023 was one of the rainiest in the last 10 years. However, the weather is part of the game and should not be considered a disadvantage. The changing weather conditions make Norway magically beautiful. The nature of the world is diverse and magnificent. This makes traveling especially attractive. The best months for hiking are from mid-June to mid-September. Norway - the most beautiful country for snow tourism. Each person has their motivation for traveling. Some want the sun, others snow, and still others mountains. Some like active holidays, others passive. We are just so different and our preferences are different. Fewer and fewer countries experience a real winter with white snow. Many countries that once had winter no longer experience winter with snow. Snow has become exotic. Also, many alpine ski resorts in Europe, located low above sea level, do not have enough snow. "Snow tourism" has become a new term in tourism and more and more people around the world are going to countries to experience winter with snow. If we talk about Europe, there are not many countries that experience a winter with white snow every year. The most guaranteed "white winter" destinations are Norway, Finland, Sweden and Iceland. In these countries, winter does not disappoint and every year there is cold and a large amount of snow. For example, Norway has a record amount of snow this year (2024). It guarantees to enjoy all possible winter activities for 6 months - from December until the end of April. There is still snow in the mountains in June. What activities to do in winter? There are many ways to spend time and enjoy winter in Norway. For example, alpine skiing or snowboarding, cross-country skiing or Nordic skiing, tobogganing in Lillehammer, Husky tour, skating in Lillehammer, ski-touring, sightseeing, by car, and snowshoeing. It’s up to you! If you are planning to go to Norway, contact us and we will help you plan a great white winter travel! Lapper or sveler (called differently in different regions) are traditional Norwegian pancakes. My favorite Norwegian dish, which I have learned to cook perfectly (in my opinion) and cook for the whole family 2 times a month. They are so good that I decided to post the recipe to promote these delicious pancakes. Sveler are very puffy and rich in protein, as the mentioned recipe uses 5 eggs and 1 liter of kefir. It's the size that matters. Lapper or sveler can be called airy pancakes. The recipe with kefir and baking soda is from Lise Finckenhagen. Kefir is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt or ayran that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture (Wikipedia). INGREDIENTS:
Important information! Use oil or butter for frying only to grease the pan. The pan must be dry if you want puffy and beautiful pancakes. If you fry in a large amount of oil or butter, the pancakes will be very greasy. Enjoy! I have often been asked if there is good downhill skiing in Norway. In most cases, it is compared to the Alps and asked about the size of the mountain resorts and the kilometers of tracks. Should we compare the Alps to Norway? It is not necessary. Norway has smaller resorts but stable winters and guaranteed good snow. If you like to travel and see different places in the world, then in Norway you will find great opportunities for skiing or snowboarding. The largest ski resorts are Trysil, Hemsedal, Hafjell, Oppdal, Kvitfjell and others. For the largest resorts, the average total number of tracks reaches 40-60 km. It's not much compared to Alpine resorts, but there are positives. The specificity of Norwegian ski resorts is that the occupancy is not uniform. This is the main plus. The busiest times are weekends, Christmas holidays in December, school holidays in Denmark, Norway, Sweden in February, and Easter holidays. If you have the opportunity to come in January and March and ski on weekdays, then you will experience a real skiing paradise. The resorts have few visitors, no queues for the lift and the slopes are of excellent quality all day long. I highly recommend it! If you like perfectly groomed tracks, then Norway in January and March is the perfect choice. I live near the Hafjell ski resort, which is the third-largest ski resort in Norway. Just a 40-minute drive north, you can also ski at the beautiful Kvitfjell Ski Resort. Both resorts share the same owner, which means you can use one ski pass for both. Kvitfjell is less popular, so you can always enjoy freedom there. If you like to travel and experience diversity, then try downhill skiing or snowboarding in Norway! Welcome to Norway! |
Norwegian Travel curatorExperiences and tips about traveling in Norway ArchivesCategories |
Norwegian Travel Curator
Andris Malasevskis
Cell phone: +47 46264214 (Norway)
E-mail: andris@malasevskis.com
Web: www.malasevskis.com
Cell phone: +47 46264214 (Norway)
E-mail: andris@malasevskis.com
Web: www.malasevskis.com
Copyright © 2024 Andris Malasevskis